Wintertime Getaway

On New Year's Day, Nathan & I, along with his best friend & his wife, headed up to Chincoteague Island, VA. If you're not familiar with CI, here is a little information. If you've ever read Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry, you already know a little about it, & if you know me, then you know my love of horses & won't be a bit surprised by my love for CI. :) We first visited CI in the summer of 2008 with the same dear friends, who had been there once before as a stop on their cross-country honeymoon. The island connects to Assateague Island, which is a wildlife refuge. We rode bikes all over the refuge that summer & saw lots of wildlife & wild ponies. It was heaven for me. ;) After that trip, the guys learned that each fall, a drawing is held for hunting on the refuge. This year, they each applied & were both drawn for different dates & zones, so they had their choice. They chose a date & we made our plans. Now, CI is very much a summer place (think BEACH!), so we knew that things were very likely going to be pretty dead in the middle of winter, but we didn't mind. :)

It was about a 10 hour drive, which is nothing when in the company of good friends. :) We drove Rachel's brother's Suburban so that we could take out the 3rd row of seats to fit all of our stuff, & so the big engine would have no trouble pulling Adam's little Isuzu Pup behind it. The reason for this was because since the guys were going to be hunting for 2 of the days we were there, Rachel & I didn't want to be stranded if there was somewhere we wanted to go. We got to our hotel just after 9 pm, and we drove around looking for a restaurant, since we hadn't stopped for supper. We saw just a few & finally stopped at one called AJ's Seafood. This was to be the first of many wonderful experiences with the locals. We asked if they were still serving, & the hostess checked with the kitchen. She said they had already closed down, so we said thanks & turned to leave. Then another lady walked over & told us to wait, that we could still eat. Turns out she was the owner, & she told the kitchen to open back up for us! She & our server were both very sweet & we had a delicious meal. We were so grateful for the owner's generosity! The hotel was probably the MOST wonderful experience of the trip. It was a Hampton Inn, so nothing really fancy, BUT it IS rated the #1 Hampton Inn in the country, & we quickly found out why. Every single staff member we came in contact with during our stay was incredibly friendly & helpful. They went out of their way to make sure we were enjoying our stay & that we had everything we needed. The breakfast area was always spotless; food choices were different each day; & they even served a complimentary supper of BBQ and soup one night for their guests! It was also a beautiful hotel, with an inviting lobby area past the check-in desk where there were couches, chairs & a tv, as well as games. We took advantage of those games a couple of nights, sitting at a table & playing for several hours. They also had an indoor pool & hot tub, which Rachel & I took advantage of one morning for a couple of hours while the guys were out hunting. :)

Both days the guys were hunting, Rachel & I drove out to the refuge & took long walks. It was very cold & the wind was not kind, but we got some good exercise & enjoyed being out there. One of the days, we took lunch to our men & met them out at the beach to eat. We ate in the car, since the wind was so bad, but we met there because their hunting zone was close to the beach. We all took a walk on the beach after eating & I got a few good pictures. I so love the ocean...it's one of my favorites of God's handiwork. I am in awe of it...in awe of Him.

There were 2 places we hoped would be open on the island. One was Sugarbaker's, which has the BEST cinnamon buns I've ever tasted in my entire life! Unfortunately, they weren't open. That was a huge disappointment, since they were just a block or so from our hotel, but it may be better for my waistline that they weren't. ;) The other place was The Island Creamery, which has the BEST ice cream I've ever tasted in my entire life! No, seriously! :) We didn't really think they'd be open in the winter, but thankfully they are (cold weather doesn't stop me from eating ice cream!) & they also serve lots of coffee drinks & hot chocolate, so each day after our walks, Rachel & I went there for hot chocolate. The 4 of us also went there every single evening for ice cream. :) My favorites: Snickers Cheesecake, & Peanut Butter Cup. Yum!

There were a few other things we did/saw, but those are all the highlights, I think. It was an absolutely WONDERFUL trip. Rachel & I both said that even though we didn't really do much of anything, it was truly a great vacation...& you know, maybe that's WHY it was a great vacation...we actually took a vacation from "doing" things! We needed to relax & that's exactly what we did.

I'm so incredibly thankful for good friends...there are very few other couples (outside family) that we would really enjoy spending 6 entire days with! :) Here are a few pictures from the trip.

View from the porch of our hotel.

Assateague Island Lighthouse.

Group of wild ponies on the refuge.

Lone wild pony on the refuge.

Nathan & me on the beach.

My favorite shot. To me, it just exudes...peace.